


Of Cat Ears and Anime Conventions (and Marriage Proposals?)

by RL4r



Series: FWP-series w/ Hidashi [8]
Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe- Not Related, But I regret nothing, Dorks in Love, FWP-Fluff without Plot, I hope that won’t be too much of an issue, I love writing about these idiots so much pwahahahaa, Levels of Domestic-ness are soooo high, M/M, Medical Students! AU, Not-Related! AU, Not-brothers! AU, Older Hiro, Sorry Not Sorry, Very very fluffy, because that’s totally a thing, hidashi, or at least I think it’s a thing, this installment features non-canon characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 02:49:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4729943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RL4r/pseuds/RL4r
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It’s that time of year in San Fransokyo again: the annual SF convention is back! Due to the huge influx of visiting con-goers and cosplayers, Tadashi is enlisted, by Aunt Cass, to help out at the café for the entire 3-day period. Tadashi doesn’t think too much of it at first; after all, it’s something he had been dealing with for years. </p><p>It doesn’t really turn out to be as predictable as years past though. Tadashi was in for a couple of exciting things this year. </p><p>Not limited to his boyfriend staying over and working beside him for the 3-day period, all the while dressed up in the Lucky Cat Café’s special uniform (it had to be illegal for anyone to be so adorable) and learning that one of his two favorite customers (who came by the café every year around the time of the SF convention and who had been together for 6 years) was planning on proposing to the other.</p><p>Can marriage proposals ever take place in cafés? Well, Tadashi could now officially say that they can.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Cat Ears and Anime Conventions (and Marriage Proposals?)

**Author's Note:**

> Heyyyyyy guys…did you miss me? /punted 
> 
> It has been awhile, and I really do apologize for that. However, considering how long this particular installment is…I guess I have a good reason for taking so long (it’s 11,000+ words…yikes). That’s the longest of any of the installments I’ve written (Birthday surprises is technically 14000+ words, but that had two parts so that doesn’t really count)….so yeah. Also, I’ve drawn two Hidashi pictures for the series as well, so that took a good chuck of time too. 
> 
> Anyway, so what inspired this particular installment? Well, I had gone to Otakon at the end of July, and I had a lot of fun there. What was also interesting about this particular year (actually it’s just been 2015 in general I feel like) was that there were a surprising number of marriage proposals! A lot of cosplayers got engaged this year apparently (decked out in costumes no less XDDD), and I thought it was kind of cute so I wanted to dedicate something to them and the convention. 
> 
> And hey, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to finally write about Hiro wearing the Lucky Cat Café special uniform! Remember that one small question back in the Third Installment that Tadashi’ answered? Yeah, we finally get to see Hiro all dressed up and cute (though I suppose if you follow me on my tumblr, you would’ve seen the preview picture already lol)! And of course, using a convention as the plot/setting also gave me an opportunity to write about Hiro staying over at Tadashi’s. Man, life is good when you have the opportunity to write your ship cuddling and falling asleep together and waking up together ahahahaaaa. /punted 
> 
> Anyway I’m gonna stop rambling now so that you can enjoy the story! Thank you so much for being so patient. You guys are the best! <3 
> 
> This particular installment alludes a little bit to the Third, Fourth, Sixth and Seventh Installments. If you haven’t read them already, I’d suggest for you to do so; if you have already but you want to see exactly how this installment alludes back to them, you are always free to re-read them (lol). But I do want to stress that the details are REALLY REALLY small, so yeah. It’s nothing particularly fancy lol. But if you’re really into seeing how all my plot points align, by all means go wild.

Of Cat Ears and Anime Conventions (and Marriage Proposals?)

 

 

            It was a quiet Monday evening. Tadashi was currently busy submitting his rotation hours and an evaluation of his preceptor online; Tadashi hadn’t quite reached the end of his most recent month-long rotation just yet, but because he didn’t really have anything else to do, he figured that he should just submit everything so that he wouldn’t have to worry about it later. Baymax was hanging around his computer monitor, providing quiet company as Tadashi typed away.

 

            The sound of footsteps (it had to be his aunt) reaching the top of the stairs interrupted his work; Tadashi figured that Aunt Cass was in need of something, so he quickly wrapped up what he was doing; after all, he wasn’t really in a rush anyway.

 

            "Hey dear, do you have a minute?" Aunt Cass asked when Tadashi turned his attention away from his computer screen.

 

            "Yeah sure Aunt Cass, is something the matter?" Tadashi asked. Baymax blinked at the middle-aged woman curiously from Tadashi's desk.

 

            "I was just wondering if you were going to be busy this upcoming weekend. Do you have any major projects you need to finish or...?"

 

            "...No, I was planning on just having a nice brunch date at the cafe with Hiro on Saturday actually," Tadashi said after a moment of thought. "Do you need me to help in the cafe or something?"

 

            "Yeah, but it's more than the usual amount of help I need," Aunt Cass replied. "You've been so busy with Hiro and rotations that you've probably forgotten the event that's coming up. Remember the anime convention that's held in this city every year at the convention center just five blocks from here?"

 

            Tadashi blinked for two seconds before realization dawned on him.

 

            "Oh my god, is it happening this upcoming weekend?"

 

            "Yep! So I need your help starting Friday all the way through Sunday, if that's possible. You know how crazy it gets."

 

             "You're right... I completely forgot," Tadashi said, sheepishly brushing his fingers through his hair. He had only had to deal with this particular anime convention for the past 7 years and yet he still forgot. "But that's fine, that shouldn't TECHNICALLY interfere with my plans....because I had planned for Hiro to come over to the cafe anyway. And we'll both be starting our month-long break starting Wednesday too, so I'll be available for the weekend."

 

             "Oh perfect. Do you think you can ask Hiro if he can help me out a little bit too? He doesn't have to do anything physically difficult...but I'm sure his genius brain would come in handy with remembering all the orders that'll inevitably flood in. And of course I'll compensate him for his time."

 

             "Yeah sure Aunt Cass. He's been dying for the opportunity to help you out actually. I'll call him right now and see what he thinks."

 

             "Ok. I'll give you guys some privacy. Come down for dinner when you're done ok?" Aunt Cass said before she disappeared down the stairs.

 

             "Ok." Tadashi called after her.

 

             "Oh and if he has any questions for me, tell him to call me so that I can explain everything to him ok?" Aunt Cass called up the stairs.

 

             "Sure."

 

             "Shall I call Hiro for you Tadashi?" Bamyax asked as Aunt Cass' footsteps faded away downstairs.

 

             "Please do Baymax. Thanks."

 

             Baymax's chest glowed with a small picture of Hiro for a couple of seconds before Tadashi heard a response.

 

             "Hello Baymax. How are you?" Hiro asked fondly.

 

             "I am doing well Hiro," Baymax calmly responded. "Tadashi has something to discuss with you. I'll put myself on stand-by so that you guys can have some privacy."

 

             "Thanks Baymax. I appreciate it."

 

             Hiro gave Baymax a little under 10 seconds to set himself on stand-by before he started addressing Tadashi.

 

             "Hey Tadashi, what's up?"

 

             "Hey Hiro," Tadashi replied. "Is this a good time?"

 

             "It's as good as any. I'm not working on anything particularly interesting or dangerous."

 

             "Ok then. So remember that small lunch date I wanted to have with you this upcoming Saturday?"

 

             "Don't tell me you're canceling, because I'll be disappointed."

 

             "Not exactly," Tadashi said, smiling at the thought of Hiro being disappointed about being unable to spend time with him. Admittedly, it made him feel a little giddy inside to know how much Hiro cared. "I've been so busy with things that I forgot that the annual SF convention is happening this weekend."

 

             "Oh, what about it?"

 

             "With the influx of 3000+ people, our cafe gets super busy during the 3-day convention," Tadashi explained. "So we need everyone we can possibly get to work at the cafe. Aunt Cass needs me to work for sure, though we can still have our little date when I take my break.  Also, she was wondering if you were interested in helping us out."

 

             "Well, the prospect of dealing with so much people hardly appeals to me," Hiro answered honestly. "But I'll be more than happy to participate in the craziness if it means I can help you guys out. What do you guys need me to do exactly?"

 

             "You don't have to do anything like, physically challenging if you don't want to. Aunt Cass was thinking that you could really help us with remembering orders and stuff like that...you know, using that genius brain of yours."

 

             Hiro burst out laughing at Tadashi's statement.

 

             "I see. I'll see what I can do when the time comes. I hope that I'll be of help."

 

             "Of course you will be, don’t worry. We’ll love to have you. But I'm sorry I forgot about this. It's kind of sad that I did because I've been dealing with the con rush for years."

 

             "It's ok, I'm sure Aunt Cass forgives you. I forgive you too. Although I don't go to conventions myself, it might be a cool experience to see everyone dressed up."

 

             "Oh yeah definitely," Tadashi said, chuckling lightly as memories of all the past years played before his eyes. "You should've seen Fred one year. His costume was really cool! A lot of people asked him for photos."

 

             "Fred seems like the type to enjoy these nerdy conventions doesn't he?"

 

             "Yep. Oh by the way, if you have any further questions about the whole thing, Aunt Cass mentioned that you can call her directly."

 

             "Ok. Text me her number later."

 

             "I will. Alright I need to head down to eat dinner...so I'll talk to you later? Did you eat already?"

 

             "I ate already...and sure, call me whenever. I'll probably be up late today anyway, so I shouldn't miss your call."

 

             "Hiro....." Tadashi drawled, not liking the implication of his boyfriend's words. Hiro promptly blew a raspberry at him.

 

             "Unlike SOMEONE I have a lot of final presentations to do for my Infectious Diseases rotation ok? But ugh, who needs to know all of these HIV medications by heart anyway...it's silly...you can just pull up the guidelines."

 

             "I suspect that you probably just procrastinated..." Tadashi lightly joked. "So it serves you right."

 

             "....Shut up..." Hiro replied indignantly, pretty much confirming Tadashi's suspicions. It was now Tadashi's turn to sigh, a sigh that was half exasperation, half amusement.

 

             "If you need any help Hiro, feel free to ask me," Tadashi said gently, knowing how hard it was, no matter how much of a genius you were, to do good projects in a short amount of time. "Even if it's just grunt work such as looking up articles and sources. The last thing I want you to do is compromise your sleep schedule."

 

             "Eh, my sleep schedule is non-existent. We'll see as the night goes on. Go eat dinner first. Talk to you later." Hiro said curtly. Tadashi chuckled, admiring his boyfriend's integrity (though not his sleep schedule, but that was a problem for another time).

 

             "Ok. Talk to you soon knucklehead." Tadashi said.

 

             "Bye nerd." Hiro replied, hanging up shortly after. Tadashi soon found himself staring at Baymax's small blinking eyes once more.

 

             "How was your call with Hiro?" Baymax asked.

 

             "It was fine...I'll probably call him after dinner again. You don't mind calling him again at that time do you?"

 

             "No, not at all Tadashi," Baymax replied soothingly. "Please enjoy your dinner. I will await your return."

 

             "Thanks Baymax. Oh...and just one last thing....care to look up some things for me in the meantime?" Tadashi asked. Tadashi knew Hiro didn't want him helping with his presentation, but it couldn't hurt to have information ready for him if he really did need it right?

 

             Besides, it wouldn’t hurt for Baymax to find additional things to incorporate into his database either. It was a win-win situation.

 

***

             

            It turned out that Hiro did end up needing a little help from Tadashi (much to the younger's embarrassment) come Tuesday evening to finish up his assignments on time. To his relief, Hiro did well on his presentations and was let out early on his last day (around 2 in the afternoon); after Hiro left the vicinity of the hospital he had been doing rotations at, he shot Tadashi a quick call to see if he was at home. It turned out that Tadashi wasn't going to be home for the next couple of hours, but he said that it was fine for Hiro to head over to the café anyway if he really wanted to wait for him. Hiro was mildly disappointed, but he settled on heading over and waiting. He needed to catch up on some sleep anyway, and a 2-hour nap sounded really good right about now.

 

             When Hiro arrived at the cafe, it seemed that the lunchtime rush had just about died down; a lot of the employees were either going around the cafe and tidying the place up or they were just checking stock. He spotted Aunt Cass behind the counter and walked up to her so that he could greet her, figuring that it'd be rude otherwise even if Tadashi had given him permission to enter his room already. The house ultimately belonged to Aunt Cass after all, not Tadashi.

 

            It turned out that Aunt Cass had a couple of things to give him and to tell him regarding the upcoming convention (he never had a chance to call her because he was so busy), so Hiro didn't end up going upstairs to Tadashi's room (he went up to the floor where Aunt Cass cooked and slept) for another 30 minutes. Still, after Aunt Cass' explanation, he was definitely looking more forward to the whole thing than he was before, so he couldn't complain. In addition, Aunt Cass gave him some extra clothes she kept around for "unexpected guests", so Hiro didn't have to worry about napping in his work clothes (which weren't uncomfortable for work but were definitely uncomfortable for napping), much to his relief. After safely storing the items he was given for the convention away in his book bag and securing the clothes Aunt Cass gave him under his right arm, he excused himself to go up to Tadashi's room to get his rest. Aunt Cass went back downstairs to manage the cafe.

 

             Tadashi came home around 5 to find Hiro sleeping peacefully on his bed, thin limbs all tangled up in his light summer blanket (it happened to be an oddly chilly day in the middle of July, so Tadashi supposed it couldn't be helped). Tadashi couldn't help but chuckle fondly; he put his bag down on his computer chair and quietly changed into his pajamas in the bathroom. As gently as he could, he settled down in the bed and detangled Hiro from his blanket enough to allow himself to slip in underneath. Tadashi spent a couple of seconds cuddling up against his boyfriend, partially because he wanted to and partially because there wasn’t enough room otherwise, before promptly dozing off (maybe he really should consider getting a bigger bed like Hiro had suggested). He didn't have as many final presentations to do as Hiro did but a full day at rotations had still made him very tired and in need of some sleep.

 

            He didn't wake up until sometime after 6:30; Tadashi was surprised to find Hiro still sleeping peacefully in his arms. Hiro must have been more exhausted than Tadashi had originally thought the poor thing. But it was time to make dinner, so Tadashi had to get out of bed one way or another; he just hoped that he wouldn't disturb Hiro as he did so.

 

             Unfortunately, it seemed like he couldn't make a clean escape this time; Hiro stirred the second Tadashi lifted his upper body from the bed. Tadashi had no idea what kept him rooted to the spot, but he didn't make to move until he was staring into the sleepy eyes of his cute boyfriend. By then, it was obviously too late.

 

             "Mm...Tadashi?" Hiro whispered hoarsely, his eyes blinking away sleep. Tadashi felt his heart skip a beat.

 

             "Yeah...How are you feeling?" Tadashi whispered, gently rubbing Hiro's arm.

 

             "Mmm...cold. Come back to bed." Hiro replied, affectionately hugging Tadashi around the waist and resting his head against his lap. Tadashi's cheeks flushed slightly.

 

             "I can't Hiro...I have to make dinner. It's my turn to do so tonight."

 

             "Mmm...I'll help you with all of that later," Hiro mumbled against Tadashi's hip bone. "Just...come warm me up...for 5 minutes. Please?"

 

             It was just _too easy_ to lose to those words; Tadashi soon found himself lying back down on the bed with Hiro. Tadashi’s brain was chiding itself, but his heart couldn't care less; the sight of Hiro smiling so contently in his arms and the feeling of Hiro's warmth against his chest were too sweet to pass up. _Sometimes I am but a simple man_ Tadashi thought absentmindedly.

 

            But surprisingly, Hiro kept true to his word; Hiro kept Tadashi in bed for an additional 5 minutes before he wiggled away and sat up, scratching his chest as he yawned a big yawn. Tadashi couldn't help but stare as he got up himself.

 

             "W-what?" Hiro asked. Was there something on his face?

 

             "Nothing...I just...your hair's really messy." Tadashi said, giggling at the sight. It was almost as if the haircut Hiro got a couple of weeks ago never happened. Mrs. Takachiko would have been sorely disappointed.

 

            "...Yeah so?" Hiro asked as he made his way to the edge of the bed to get up. Hiro's T-shirt briefly got pulled downwards because he was half-sitting on it, exposing his thin neck and shoulder on his left side.

 

             "You're just too cute...that's all." Tadashi said, and that was the only warning Hiro got before Tadashi planted a gentle kiss on his exposed nape. Hiro promptly squawked and tumbled off the bed to get away from his boyfriend.

 

             "D-DON'T DO THAT. AGAIN. EVER." Hiro said, glaring at Tadashi. He was really red in the face. Tadashi laughed.

 

             "Sorry sorry..." Tadashi placated, raising his arms in apology. He never could've imagined that Hiro was that sensitive there.  Hiro "hmph-ed" and made his way into Tadashi's bathroom before promptly slamming the door behind him. Meanwhile, Tadashi folded up his blanket and tidied up his bed a little bit. He sincerely hoped that Hiro wouldn't revoke his promise about helping him with dinner because of this.

 

            But Tadashi needn't had worried; Hiro kept true to his word (though he playfully nipped Tadashi's arm in retaliation for the kiss from before). Now that Tadashi had Hiro's additional help, he decided to change what he was going to make for dinner; they ended up making some delicious homemade mac-and-cheese with some nice cubed ham on the side. After setting aside a portion of the meal for Aunt Cass (she'd eat it when she took her evening break) Tadashi and Hiro sat down to eat dinner together. To Tadashi's slight embarrassment, Hiro started offering to feed him again, not unlike the time they went on their first dinner date together.

 

             But it wasn't like Tadashi could actually refuse, so he didn't. In consequence, Hiro smiled, almost smugly, the whole time they ate dinner. _This is going to always be a thing, isn’t it_ Tadashi thought.

 

             The two finished dinner around 8, but Hiro ended up staying late to help Tadashi clean up the cafe so that Aunt Cass could retire early to make plans for the upcoming weekend. Tadashi really wondered if they should start closing the cafe sooner, seeing as how their current hours made dinner plans a little difficult sometimes and usually left Aunt Cass quite tired. Maybe he'd discuss it with Aunt Cass when the summer season rush was over.

 

             Tadashi didn't drive Hiro back home until it was well past 11; every time Hiro pressed particularly close to Tadashi on the moped, he worried that the younger man had fallen asleep against him. Despite all this, the two arrived at Hiro's house without incident. After parking his moped, Tadashi walked Hiro to his door.

 

             “You’re going straight to bed I hope?” Tadashi asked as Hiro typed in the passcode to enter his garage.

 

             “Yeah, definitely.” Hiro replied, yawning a big yawn to emphasize his point. Tadashi chuckled.

 

             “Alright. Goodnight Hiro.”

 

             “Goodnight Tadashi.” Hiro said before standing on his toes and kissing Tadashi quickly on the lips.

 

             “Second kiss because I miss you already?” Tadashi joked lightly. Hiro laughed before gently nudging Tadashi’s hip.

 

             "Hey, I'll be seeing you in two days. C'mon, it'll be the big day before you know it."

 

             But Hiro gave Tadashi a second kiss anyway, just because Tadashi was that cute.

 

             But don’t tell Tadashi he thought that.

 

***

 

            Hiro arrived at the cafe Friday morning a little after 7 (a day of total rest and relaxation plus a good night's sleep really helped to rejuvenate him). Hiro quickly called Tadashi to come downstairs to open the door for him; within seconds, Hiro was face-to-face with Tadashi, who was still in his pajamas.

 

             "Morning!" Tadashi greeted happily, pulling Hiro into a tight hug.

 

             "Morning nerd," Hiro replied, hugging Tadashi in return. "You still look half-asleep."

 

             "Well...haven't finished my morning coffee yet, but I had to run down as fast as I could when you called, lest you got impatient." Tadashi teased gently. He ruffled Hiro's hair affectionately.

 

             "For the record, I'm not doing that for you if you ever go over to my place at 7 in the morning. I'll take as long as I bloody want to open the door." Hiro joked as he entered the cafe. Tadashi gently closed the door behind him.

 

            "So mean." Tadashi replied, pouting dramatically. Tadashi knew Hiro was joking though, because in all his experience, Hiro never took long to answer the door for him when he went over (though it was true that he had never gone over so early in the morning).

 

             "I try."

 

             It was a little surreal seeing the cafe completely empty (Hiro had never gone in before the cafe opened after all), but at the same time, it made Hiro all the more excited for what the day had in store for them. He made his way past the counter towards the stairs with Tadashi following closely behind him.

 

             "Do you need help carrying that duffel bag?" Tadashi asked as the two made their way up the first couple of steps.

 

             Tadashi was referring to the red duffel bag Hiro currently had slung over his small shoulder. Aunt Cass had figured that it'd be much easier for Hiro to just stay over at the cafe during the duration of the convention, so Hiro had packed some clothes and other essential toiletries and brought them all with him.

 

             "Nah. I'm good. Thanks though." Hiro replied. He may have been small but he could carry his own weight.

 

             When Hiro made it to the top of the first flight of stairs, he spotted Aunt Cass quietly reading the newspaper and sipping her coffee at the kitchen table. There was another mug on the table, which probably belonged to Tadashi.

 

             "Good morning Aunt Cass!" Hiro greeted cheerfully, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

 

             "Good morning sweetie! It's so wonderful to see you. Have you eaten breakfast yet?" Aunt Cass greeted in return. Tadashi sat back down at the table and started drinking his coffee in earnest.

 

             "Yeah, I ate already. I'm ready to start working!"

 

            "Ok then. You can run on upstairs to Tadashi's room to drop off your stuff and to clean up a little bit," Aunt Cass said kindly, greatly appreciating Hiro's enthusiasm. "Go on, we'll be opening up the cafe soon, so please don't take too long."

 

             When Hiro made his way to the stairs that led up to Tadashi's room, Tadashi noticed that he shared a quick wink with Aunt Cass. Since when had Hiro and Aunt Cass been on such close terms? Not that he was complaining of course, but he suddenly felt a little on edge. _What are those two plotting this time?_ Tadashi thought absentmindedly as he finished up the last of his breakfast.

 

             "Hey Tadashi, I'm just going to run downstairs real quick to double check on a few things. I'll be right back upstairs ok?"

 

             "Sure Aunt Cass. I'll wash the dishes?"

 

             "No, you don't have to. You can just move the dishes into the sink and then change into your uniform. I don't want you getting your clothes wet you know? The clothes are in a folded pile on my ironing board.” Aunt Cass said before she disappeared down the stairs. Tadashi half-wondered if she was a little frazzled because of the convention and everything (hopefully not though), because Aunt Cass usually hated having dirty dishes left over in her sink. Still, he wasn't going to question her he supposed.

 

             Tadashi dutifully moved the dirty dishes and cups into the sink before grabbing his uniform from the ironing board and changing into it in Aunt Cass’ bathroom. Despite what Aunt Cass had told him, Tadashi started washing the dishes after he finished changing (he just couldn't help himself). Tadashi took extra care in not splashing any water or soap onto his new clothes; right as he placed the first coffee mug he had washed onto the drying rack, he heard footsteps coming down from his room upstairs. His heart skipped a beat in anticipation of seeing his boyfriend again; he spun around, all ready to greet Hiro.

 

             Tadashi was glad he wasn't holding any his breakfast dishes or cups at the exact moment he saw Hiro, because he would've promptly dropped it and caused a mess; luckily, the only things that dropped were his heart and his mouth, and both dropped figuratively.

 

             It seemed that Hiro went upstairs not only to drop off his stuff and "clean up", but also to change his clothes; his worn-down (though adorable none-the-less) hoodie-and-cargo shorts outfit was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Hiro was dressed in a black blazer vest (that had the Lucky Cat Cafe logo embroidered on the right side) with a neatly pressed white dress shirt and black tie underneath; on his lower body, Hiro had a black apron tied around his thin waist as well as neat black dress pants on. To offset the formalness of his outfit (after all they were a casual cafe, not a 5 star restaurant or something), Hiro wore his black converses, the white tips a stark contrast against his pants.

 

             But what really caught Tadashi's eye (after all, Hiro's outfit was no different from Tadashi's) and robbed him of his breath were the accessories Hiro had on: a thin choker with a small bell attached to it and big black cat ears. Oh no he's so cute Tadashi cried internally. He was positive that his eyes started watering slightly, as embarrassing as that sounded.

 

             "Hey, you don't need to keep staring at me like that you big nerd..." Hiro said, giggling softly. His tooth gap made a brief appearance as he did so, causing Tadashi's heart rate to further speed up.

 

             "S-sorry..." Tadashi replied awkwardly. This was all something out of his dreams and it was a LOT to take in.

 

             "SO....Is it everything you had ever imagined it to be?" Hiro looked up at him from underneath his thick eyelashes, playfully teasing him. It was obvious that Hiro was referring to the time when they were participating in the couple-challenge event 4 months back.

 

             "Let me guess...Aunt Cass was in on this the whole time, wasn't she?" Tadashi said, changing the topic lest his heart rate went up too high and made him pass out (that was the last thing he wanted to do). Besides, it was pretty darn obvious that he really liked the outfit on Hiro (considering his complete inability to tear his eyes away), so Hiro hardly needed an answer.

 

             "Yeah...she gave me the outfit and the accessories for my birthday actually," Hiro said, smiling brightly, letting Tadashi off the hook for the time being. "Not that I knew that the outfit was specifically for this event until she told me two days ago. In the note that came with it, she only mentioned that I might be needing it soon. It really seems like she had had the SF convention on her mind for awhile."

 

             "....It would seem so..."

 

             "Bet you knew that the present consisted of clothes but never would've guessed it was this uniform huh? You would've known right away if you had seen it."

 

             "...Yeah..." Tadashi replied. Now that he thought more about it, it would make sense for Aunt Cass to give Hiro a uniform (his brain has been more scattered lately than he had originally thought). He supposed that he just hadn't been expecting it, because according to Aunt Cass, Hiro wasn't really going to interact with customers that much (as in he was mostly going to stay behind the counter), and that hardly warranted the need for such a special outfit. Still, Tadashi could hardly complain because Hiro looked absolutely _perfect_ in it, just like Tadashi had imagined he would months prior.

 

             "Also, Aunt Cass wanted me to give you this!" Hiro announced, snapping Tadashi out of his reverie.

 

             Hiro pulled out something from behind him: it was another pair of cat ears, though these were white, not black.

 

             "She would've given them to you when the new cat ears had arrived for her this year, but she wanted me to do the honors when I arrived for my shift, so she gave these ears to me two days ago when I came over."

 

             Tadashi couldn't help but laugh. He had wondered why Aunt Cass hadn't told him anything about the cat ears he needed to wear for the event. Seems like he finally got his answer.

 

             "She's so weird sometimes..." Tadashi replied, though he supposed he knew where she was coming from. She just wanted to embarrass her nephew in front of his boyfriend that's all (there was nothing better in the world than playfully embarrassing your loved ones right?).

 

             "Are you going to lean down or what?"

 

             "Yes yes..."

 

             Tadashi lowered himself so that Hiro could place the cat ears upon his head and comfortably tuck the headband behind his real ears. Hiro's thin fingers lingered on Tadashi's face.

 

             "The ears suit you."

 

             "...Not as much as they suit you." Tadashi said, almost shyly. It was true though; the cat ears seemed almost natural on Hiro, as weird as that sounded. He could hardly say the same about himself though.

 

             "Oh please, this isn't a competition." Hiro chided gently, leaning in to kiss Tadashi on the nose.

 

             "Ok." Tadashi giggled at the feeling of Hiro kissing his nose. It felt quite pleasant but he wanted more. He pulled Hiro closer to him by his thin waist before leaning in for a quick kiss on the lips; to his surprise (and delight), Hiro deepened it.

 

             "Oh aren't you boys just the cutest? Let me take a picture for the Christmas album!" Aunt Cass gushed, suddenly appearing in Tadashi and Hiro's line of vision, sporting her own pair of cat ears (they were white speckled with black and orange dots) and holding a small pink polaroid camera. The two instantly broke apart, slightly embarrassed at getting caught being intimate over something as silly as putting on a pair of fake cat ears.

 

             "Aunt Cass..." Tadashi groaned in embarrassment. His aunt simply laughed at his red, pouting face.

 

             "Oh come on, I mean it! You guys are adorable, and it's not every day I get to see you guys dressed up in these uniforms! C'mon you two, we don't have all day."

 

             Hiro glanced over at Tadashi and simply shrugged, resigning to his fate. Tadashi sighed before resigning as well. They posed for a couple of pictures before Aunt Cass put away her camera.

 

             "Oh before I forget, I'll help you guys get the cat tails on too," Aunt Cass said, grabbing said accessories from one of the kitchen drawers (one was black and one was white). "They usually don't get caught on the tables or anything, but still make sure to be careful ok? I don't want anyone getting hurt."

 

             "Yes Aunt Cass." Hiro and Tadashi said in unison. Aunt Cass helped Hiro tie his cat tail first before helping Tadashi with his.

 

             "Well then, let's get this party started!" Aunt Cass exclaimed excitedly, clapping her hands together. "I have a feeling that this is going to be a good year!"

 

             "Course it will be, we have Hiro with us after all right?" Tadashi said, gently ruffling Hiro's hair. He was careful not to disturb the cat ears too much.

 

             Hiro couldn't help but blush at that; he retaliated by swatting Tadashi's hand away and blowing a raspberry at his boyfriend. Tadashi laughed all the way down the stairs.

 

             And so, their work day began; the early morning hours were pretty busy, but not to the point of it being hectic. For the most part, people came in for some coffee and a quick bite. Hiro wasn't familiar with the preparation of the drinks (so Tadashi pretty much banned him from touching any of the machines), but he was indeed very proficient at remembering every order to the finest detail (and some coffee orders got strangely complex); to Aunt Cass' delight, both men worked almost seamlessly together.

 

             Around 10:30, the lines died down and other cafe workers (also dressed up in cat-inspired uniforms) arrived for their respective shifts, so Aunt Cass allowed Tadashi and Hiro to take their break.

 

             The two made their way over to a small booth in the corner, each with their own cup of iced coffee. As they chatted amiably and sipped their drinks, they started noticing large groups of people occasionally walking past the cafe; some were in normal clothes while some were decked out in colorful costumes.

 

             "It seems like people are starting to head over to the convention center for the day." Tadashi mused.

 

              "It must be so hot in some of those costumes," Hiro observed, specifically referring to a couple of people that just passed by who were completely armored up. "I don't know how they do it."

 

              "You won't find people more dedicated to their craft than cosplayers," Tadashi replied, chuckling softly at Hiro's incredulous expression. "Be it freezing cold or sizzling hot...they find ways to wear their costumes."

 

              "Yeah, no kidding."

 

              "We can head over to the convention center around dinner time if you want to get a closer look. We don't have passes so we don't have access to the building, but there's still plenty to see outside."

 

              "Sure. Is that going to be ok with Aunt Cass?"

 

              "Yeah, dinner rush isn't really a thing here," Tadashi reassured. "Granted, people still come in for those occasional late-night sweet tooth cravings...but it’s nothing Aunt Cass and one or two other employees can't handle."

 

              "Ok."

 

              Suddenly, the two were interrupted by a loud call, presumably from a customer.

 

              "Hello Tadashi! Long time no see!"

 

              Tadashi spun around to see who was calling him, and his eyes instantly lit up when he saw who it was.

 

              "Rachel, is that you? And Ethan?" Tadashi exclaimed excitedly, getting up from his seat and meeting the two people in question half-way.

 

              "That's us! We're so happy that we could stop by the cafe today and see you!" Rachel said warmly. Ethan waved shyly from behind his more outgoing girlfriend.

 

              Tadashi had met Rachel and Ethan for the first time about 7 years ago when he was still a teenager and was just starting to regularly work at his aunt's cafe; they didn't become an official couple until Ethan asked Rachel to be his girlfriend, right in the cafe no less, 1 year after Tadashi met them for the first time. Ever since then, they had always stopped by the cafe when the SF convention took place each year and were always friendly and pleasant; needless to say, both Tadashi and Aunt Cass had grown very fond of them. Tadashi was very glad to see that they were clearly still very much in love with each other, even after so many years.

 

              "And look at you guys...you're all dressed up for the convention," Tadashi said. "Ariel and Eric from The Little Mermaid right?"

 

              "Yep," Rachel said, laughing airily before twirling around in her dress. It was the dress Ariel had been wearing when Eric spent the day showing her around the kingdom. "It's a costume I've wanted to do ever since I was a little girl. I'm glad that this is the year I finally get to live my childhood dream. I've got to say though, the wig is making me feel quite hot, but what can a cosplayer do? Anyway, how have you been Tadashi? Still in med school? Anything new to report? Still rocking that cute Lucky Cat Cafe outfit I see, though your ear accessory is different this year."

 

              "Yeah, still chugging along on that particular career path," Tadashi replied. "And um...yeah, actually, I do have news to report for once. I've started dating someone. That actually sort of explains why I'm wearing white cat ears this year and not black ones, because I guess my aunt wanted to switch things up because we have an extra person helping us."

 

              Rachel audibly gasped and gleefully started patting Ethan’s shoulder in excitement. Ethan was not nearly as vocal as Rachel, but his eyes were sparkling in quiet excitement for Tadashi.

 

              "Who is it? Do you have pictures?" Rachel asked excitedly.

 

              "There's no need for pictures. He's right over here," Tadashi said, almost shyly. He walked back over to where Hiro was still sitting and introduced the two parties to each other. "Rachel and Ethan....this is Hiro, my wonderful genius boyfriend. Hiro, this is Rachel and Ethan. They always stop by during the convention season and have been coming for the past 7 years. They're just lovely people."

 

              "Oh my gosh! You're simply adorable Hiro," Rachel gushed. Hiro blushed slightly, just a little intimidated by Rachel's straightforwardness. "I need a picture...let me take out my phone..."

 

              "How long have you two been dating?" Ethan voiced quietly as Rachel dug through her purse, quite in-tune with Hiro's discomfort as he was quite introverted himself. Ethan's soft voice definitely helped Hiro relax a little bit and he smiled appreciatively.

 

              "Just about 5 months now." Tadashi replied, smiling down at Hiro.

 

              "Well, I wish you two the best. It's nice to meet you Hiro."

 

              "Thanks Ethan." Tadashi replied. Hiro nodded slightly, indicating to Ethan that he shared the sentiment as he couldn’t quite reach to shake Ethan’s hand.

 

              "Alright, picture time!" Rachel said, waving her phone in her hand. "Let me take a picture of you two first and then we'll take a groupie together!"

 

              Hiro wasn't exactly someone who was fond of being in pictures, but he couldn't find it in his heart to tell that to Rachel, so he just went with the whole thing (actually now that he thought about it, Rachel sort of reminded him a little of Honey Lemon). It turned out to be quite fun though, so Hiro couldn't complain. As promised, Rachel took a couple of shots of Hiro and Tadashi first before taking a shot of all of them together.

 

              "You guys should really go to the convention one year," Rachel said as she put away her camera. "I think you two would really enjoy it."

 

              "Maybe one year," Tadashi agreed, laughing lightly. "If you have any suggestions about what we could cosplay, please let me know."

 

              "Sure! I have a LONG list of ideas already!"

 

              "Anything else I can do for you two?" Tadashi asked kindly. He was technically still on break, but he didn't really mind helping Rachel and Ethan.

 

              "Oh yes. I got so excited when I saw you that I completely forgot what I came in here to do," Rachel said, laughing heartily at herself. "I wanted to order a dozen of your doughnuts to go. I haven't had them in such a long time after all!"

 

              "Bostom creme, chocolate sprinkle, and glazed?" Tadashi asked, smiling widely.

 

              "You have such amazing memory! Yes please." Rachel said. Tadashi gestured for her to follow him to the counter, leaving Ethan and Hiro together at the table.

 

              "She loves Lucky Cat Cafe doughnuts more than anything," Ethan whispered softly to Hiro. "She'll probably buy even more come tomorrow and Sunday."

 

              "I don't imagine Aunt Cass or Tadashi to be upset about that." Hiro replied, smiling softly. Ethan laughed.

 

              "No, I suppose not."

 

              "You guys heading over to the convention center for the day?"

 

              "Yeah. We'll drop by our hotel room again to store away the doughnuts for sure but...yeah that's the plan. You think you'll be heading over to the convention center?"

 

              "I don’t know. Tadashi said we might check it out later today because I’ve never gone,” Hiro mused. “But we’ll see what happens.”

 

              "I see. Word of advice? If you happen to see any cosplay that you really like, don’t be afraid to ask for photos. Trust me, cosplayers put so much effort and time into their costumes that anyone asking them for photos is a huge compliment. And honestly, the worst they could do is say no.”

 

              “Heh. I’ll keep that in mind Ethan. Thanks!”

 

              “Sure thing.

 

              “Oh, Rachel and Tadashi are back.”

 

              After a couple of last hugs and friendly handshakes, Rachel and Ethan left the café to go to their hotel and then the convention for the day; meanwhile, Tadashi and Hiro enjoyed the last half-hour of their break before returning to work.

 

              It turned out that the two didn’t end up having a chance to go to the convention center when dinner time came, but it wasn’t all too bad; both Hiro and Tadashi managed to see a lot of great cosplayers throughout the day in the café anyway. Hiro lamented a little over the fact that he hadn’t come prepared with a camera, but a lot of cosplayers either gave him their business cards or assured him that he could always find pictures of them online if he really wanted to.

 

              Aunt Cass retired from the café to get dinner ready at about 7:30; Tadashi and Hiro stayed behind to man the café for the last two hours. When 9:30 rolled around, Tadashi and Hiro started wiping down the tables and sweeping the floor. After about 30 minutes of cleaning, the two officially closed up the café and retired up to Tadashi’s room. Tadashi shooed Hiro into his bathroom to take a shower first, requesting for him to throw out his dirtied clothes before he started showering so that Tadashi could take them down to wash and dry in preparation for the next day. While Hiro did that, Tadashi took off his own uniform (just the vest) in preparation to wash as well. Tadashi happened to have a lot of white button-down shirts and black dress pants coordinated to his uniform, so there was really no rush to wash the set he was still wearing. In comparison, Hiro hadn't had the time to coordinate other clothes with the vest (so the set of clothes Aunt Cass gave him was his only set), so Tadashi had to make sure to get all his clothes cleaned, dried and ironed before tomorrow. Right as Tadashi plugged his dying phone in to charge, he heard the light thud of a pile of clothes making contact with the floor and Hiro subsequently closing the bathroom door again. Tadashi then made his way to the front of his bathroom and picked up the pile of clothes; he placed Hiro's dirty clothes into his hamper and picked up his load to bring downstairs.

 

              Right after Tadashi brought everything downstairs to wash and came back upstairs with dinner, Hiro finished his shower. He was comfortably sporting his trade-mark T-shirt-and-shorts look once more, messy hair included. Tadashi couldn't help but chuckle to himself in his head; Hiro was undeniably cute in the cat-boy uniform, but he truly looked even cuter just in his normal everyday clothes. Tadashi was so busy with his sappy thoughts he didn't realize that he was staring at Hiro for a strangely long period of time; Hiro promptly called him out on it.

 

              "Why are you staring at me like that? For like, the third time in just the past couple of days I might add." Hiro asked as he settled down at Tadashi's desk.

 

              "O-oh, I was staring? I'm sorry. Guess I'm just a little tired and didn't realize." Tadashi replied, blushing a little. He placed the food he was carrying down in front of Hiro. Hiro rolled his eyes, but smiled a little nonetheless.

 

              "It's fine. Hurry up and shower so that we can have dinner. I'm starving."

 

              "You can eat first." Tadashi suggested, grabbing a clean set of pajamas to change into and a towel from his drawers.

 

              "That'd be rude of me. I can wait 15 minutes. I'll talk with Baymax or something."

 

              "...If you really feel hungry you should eat. I don't want you to faint or anything." Tadashi insisted gently as he entered the bathroom.

 

              "Don't worry, I won't." Hiro called back to him. Tadashi smiled to himself in the bathroom, appreciating Hiro's manners. The man was definitely more kind-hearted than he gave himself credit for.

 

              Tadashi came out from the shower 10 minutes later, feeling refreshed and much happier all around. He tossed his dirty clothes into his hamper before making his way to Hiro, who was indeed engrossed in conversation with Baymax.

 

              "Would it be ok for me to accompany you into the cafe tomorrow Hiro?" Baymax asked. "It seems like my camera would be of use to you."

 

              "Sure thing Baymax! I'd love for you to come. You can ride around on my shoulder."

 

              "I see. I look forward to it. Hello Tadashi. Did you enjoy your shower?" Baymax asked, turning to face Tadashi. Tadashi suspected that Baymax did a quick scan of him.

 

              "Hey Baymax. I did very much, thank you."

 

              "You two should eat dinner. Both Hiro and Tadashi's sugar levels are a little on the low side." Baymax said softly. Tadashi laughed as he pulled up another chair to his desk.

  

             "We will Baymax don't worry."

 

             "Hey, pass the chopsticks?" Hiro requested. Aunt Cass had made them some delicious home-made sushi for dinner, so Hiro was quite ready to dig in.

 

             "Here.” Tadashi replied, handing Hiro a pair of disposable chopsticks.

 

             “Thanks.” Hiro said before promptly snapping the utensil in half.

 

             Unsurprisingly, Tadashi once again spent most of his dinner accepting food offerings from Hiro ( _Yeah, it’s officially a thing now_ Tadashi thought, resigning to his fate). After dinner, the two washed up and went straight to bed, quite tired after a long day of work (Tadashi should _really_ tell Aunt Cass to close up the café around 7 or something from now on).

 

            “Night Tadashi.” Hiro whispered softly as he snuggled against Tadashi’s chest.

 

            “Night Hiro. See you in the morning.” Tadashi replied, kissing Hiro softly on the forehead.

 

            The second-to-last thought Tadashi had before he passed out for the night was that it was becoming more common having Hiro next to him when he went to bed and saying “goodnight” and “see you in the morning” to him. It made Tadashi feel very warm and happy inside.

 

            His last thought was that he hoped that Hiro felt the same way.

 

 

***

 

            Saturday at the café passed by quite like Friday had: Tadashi, Hiro, and Aunt Cass all worked really hard with orders and deliveries, all the while enjoying the sight of some amazing cosplays. True to his word, Hiro brought Baymax with him and had him on his shoulder throughout the day; Hiro was shy about asking for photos at first, but he eventually warmed up to the idea (after all, Baymax was with him). In fact, it seemed that everyone was extremely fond of Baymax and wanted pictures of the little robot, much to Hiro’s surprise (and pride). He would probably be able to find pictures of the robot online soon enough, and that filled Hiro up with a sort of glee that he couldn’t quite explain.

 

            As the day went on, it became clear that Hiro (and Tadashi for that matter) wouldn’t be able to stop by the convention center at all this year. Still, all in all, Hiro was having a wonderful time anyway, so he couldn’t complain.

 

            Sometime late in the evening, when it was very quiet in the cafe, Tadashi and Hiro got a surprise visit from Ethan.

 

            "Hello you two. How are you guys?" Ethan greeted quietly as he made his way up to the counter.

  

            "Oh hello Ethan... where's Rachel?" Tadashi greeted, surprise clearly written all over his face (Rachel and Ethan were _always_ together after all). Ethan chuckled.

  

            "She's off visiting some of her other cosplayer friends in one of the hotels near here...bless her, that social butterfly. It all works out perfectly for me though, because there was something private I wanted to bring up with you guys. Is your aunt here too by any chance?"

  

            "No, she had to take care of some personal deliveries tonight, so she won't be back for a little bit," Tadashi explained. "But if you want me to leave her a message, I'd be more than happy to. Is everything ok?"

 

            "I see, that's fine. And yes yes, everything's fine. I don't have any bad news. I just wanted to let you guys know that...um...I'm planning to propose to Rachel tomorrow afternoon after the convention.”

 

            Both Tadashi and Hiro gasped in surprise.

  

            "Ethan...that's...SO GREAT. I'm so happy for you!" Tadashi said excitedly.

 

            "Thank you. I was just wondering if it was ok for me to propose to her in this cafe. After all, there couldn't be a better place to do it than here, because I asked her out here 6 years ago and we just love this cafe so much. It's really the only place I could propose to Rachel in."

 

            "Sure, I don't mind at all! And I'm sure my aunt wouldn't either. She'd be so honored."

 

            "Aww shucks. I'm glad. I didn't want you guys to be completely unaware of my plans though, because you might have to like…make a small public announcement for everyone in the café to quiet down because I really do have problems with speaking up. Would that ruin your workflow?”

 

            "Oh no no, it's perfectly fine," Tadashi said, waving his hand. "If your proposal’s only going take a few minutes it’s really not a problem. Do you have the ring and everything prepared?"

 

 

            "Oh yeah, I've had the engagement ring for a couple of months now. Do you guys want to see it?"

 

            Both Tadashi and Hiro nodded; Ethan reached into his bag and pulled out a small black box. He flicked it open and brought it up to Tadashi and Hiro to see. It was a very pretty ring, with one circular diamond in the middle and two smaller circular diamonds on either side of it; the band was thin and a sleek silver color, giving the ring a simple but elegant feel.

 

            "Can't say that I'm a rich enough man to afford a huge diamond or something, but I've always figured that Rachel wouldn't appreciate such a large diamond anyway, so I got her this."

 

            "It's a lovely ring Ethan. I'm sure she'll love it." Tadashi said encouragingly. Hiro nodded beside him.

 

            "Heh, I sure hope so. Do you know how many Lucky Cat Cafe doughnuts I could've bought for Rachel with the money I spent on this ring? It's a lot of happy points I gave up." Ethan joked.

 

            Tadashi and Hiro laughed. They remembered just how much Rachel loved her doughnuts.

 

            "Anyway, so that's what I stopped by to tell you. I should get going now, just in case Rachel wants me to pick her up at her friend's hotel. You know how it can get when it gets too dark outside. I'll see you guys tomorrow ok?" Ethan said.

 

            "Sure thing Ethan. Best of luck!" Tadashi replied.

 

            With a small wave, Ethan left. Tadashi then pulled out two wash cloths and gestured for Hiro to follow him out to start wiping down the tables. As the two were wiping down the tables together, Hiro asked Tadashi a quick question.

 

            "Do marriage proposals happen often in this café? I can imagine it's a common thing for fancy restaurants and all but...have they happened here before?"

  

            "Mmmm can't really say that they have," Tadashi said. "But hey, there's a first time for everything right? I, for one, am quite excited."

 

            "...You would be. You're such a romantic sap."

 

            "....And is that a bad thing?" Tadashi asked tentatively.

  

            "Heh. No, of course not you nerd," Hiro said, running over to Tadashi and giving him a tight hug. "Don't ever change."

 

            "..." Tadashi had no words, but the red blush that reached all the way up to his ears spoke for him.

           

            Hiro giggled at the mental image of his blushing boyfriend for the rest of the night.

 

***

 

            Sunday afternoon eventually rolled around; Tadashi anxiously awaited the arrival of Rachel and Ethan as he juggled preparing drinks and serving customers their orders. He had made sure to tell Aunt Cass all about Ethan’s planned marriage proposal so that she wouldn’t miss it; she had been extremely giddy and excited all day because of it. Tadashi was glad that she clearly shared his sentiments regarding the whole thing: it was just such an exciting and wonderful thing to have a marriage proposal happen in their café.

 

            In comparison, Hiro seemed particularly quiet and pensive, clearly very deep in thought; Tadashi wasn’t exactly sure why he was in such a mood, but it didn’t seem like Baymax was picking up any signs of distress, so he left his boyfriend to his thoughts. If anything, Tadashi could ask about it later when he was a little less anxious himself.

 

            When it was a little pass 3, Tadashi finally spotted the familiar faces of Rachel and Ethan, who were both once again dressed up as Ariel and Eric (respectively) from the Little Mermaid. Rachel, as bright and outgoing as ever, greeted everyone cheerfully before ordering some last minute treats for herself and Ethan. Meanwhile, Ethan wandered off to find a table (and probably to mentally prepare himself for what he was planning to do). Tadashi tried to act as normally as possible as he got Rachel’s order ready, not wanting to tip the woman off to anything.

 

            When Rachel went to sit down at the table Ethan had chosen (unsurprisingly, he had chosen a table in the middle of the café) with their food, Tadashi took a quick glance around to gauge how many people were in the café.  There weren’t too many customers, and luckily most of the people who had chosen to stay and enjoy their food and drinks weren’t too spread out; that’d make it easier to make the café quiet when Ethan was ready.

 

            …Which, seemed to be right about now, if his intense eye signaling was anything to go by; Tadashi quickly signaled to Hiro, who was cleaning a table right next to Ethan’s table, to proceed with the setup. Hiro set Baymax down and briefly whispered a command to him; Baymax promptly gave off a loud, though still calm, sound, quite like how a wind-chime would sound on a breezy day. The café got quiet within a few seconds of Baymax making such a sound; some customers, including Rachel, glanced at the tiny robot in confusion.

 

            “I apologize for the interruption and any distress I may have caused. Our good friend Ethan, who is located at the table right next to mine, simply has something he needs to announce. As he is a quiet and gentle man, may I please briefly request for momentary silence.”

 

            A energized, though silent, buzz moved like a wave across the café; all the customers, despite probably not knowing who in the world Ethan even was, turned to face him (and in consequence, Rachel as well). Rachel shook her head gently at her boyfriend, still clearly very confused with what was happening. For what was probably the first time in her life, Rachel felt slightly uncomfortable under the spotlight.

 

            Ethan noticed his girlfriend’s discomfort right away, and thus wasted no time in proceeding with his planned course of action. It was like watching something out of a movie; Tadashi, Hiro, and Aunt Cass were very impressed by how unfrazzled Ethan was about the whole thing, considering that he was such a soft-spoken and shy man. However, he had no problem getting down on one knee and flipping open his ring box, his hands not shaking very much, if at all. Rachel covered her mouth with both hands, clearly very surprised with the current turn of events.

 

            "Rachel, my beautiful Ariel and the love of my life...will you marry me?" Ethan asked, his voice louder and clearer than Tadashi had ever heard it (and that alone filled him with a sense of pride). When everyone realized what was happening, they all collectively held their breath. Was Rachel going to say yes?

 

            "....Yes...YES. Of course I'll marry you!" Rachel said, her voice cracking slightly. When Ethan delicately took her hand and slipped on the ring (unsurprisingly it fit perfectly), Rachel promptly burst into tears before throwing herself into Ethan's arms, crying and laughing all at once against her boyfriend’s shoulder. Well, perhaps it was more appropriate to say “fiancé’s” shoulder now.

 

            The cafe burst into collective cheering and applause as the newly engaged couple came together for a quick kiss and another loving hug. Tadashi, Hiro, and Aunt Cass all made their way over to the couple to offer up their personal congratulations (and in Rachel's case, to offer a tissue or two to wipe away her freely falling tears).

 

            "I'm so happy I can eat a whole fridge of doughnuts! Congratulations you two!" Aunt Cass gushed. She shook both Rachel's and Ethan's hands enthusiastically before slipping some tissues into Rachel's hands.

 

            "I hope this means we'll get wedding invitations soon." Tadashi said warmly, also shaking both Rachel and Ethan's hands.

 

            "Oh we won't forget," Ethan said, quietly laughing as Rachel dabbed her eyes with the tissues Aunt Cass gave her. "If things work out, we should be moving closer to this city real soon, so you guys won't have to go out of your way to go to our wedding. We also wouldn't mind you guys doing some special catering orders for us either, if that's not too much trouble."

 

            "Oh that’s wonderful news," Aunt Cass replied. "And no, of course that wouldn't be any trouble at all! Why if you didn’t ask, I’d be personally offended!”

 

            Everyone burst out laughing at Aunt Cass’ playful joke before Hiro jumped into the conversation.

 

            "Um...Rachel and Ethan?" Hiro spoke softly from behind Tadashi. The couple turned to face him.

 

            "Yes Hiro?" Ethan asked.

 

            "I had Baymax here record everything, so um...if you want a video of your proposal for memory's sake, I'll be more than happy to have him send the file to you."

 

            Rachel and Ethan blinked at each other briefly before bursting out into embarrassed laughter.

 

            "Oh dear, I can't _believe_ I forgot about something so important! Thank you so much for the save Hiro," Ethan said appreciatively, his eyes twinkling. "Let me give you my email."

 

            After Baymax sent the video file over to Ethan, Rachel ordered another batch of doughnuts to go, just because she was so happy and grateful. After their order was ready, it was time for the old friends to bid farewell until the next convention (or perhaps the wedding). Rachel was particularly emotional, giving everyone a loving hug (she gave Hiro an especially strong hug and even a small kiss to the cheek, much to his embarrassment) before she left, hand in hand, with Ethan. Everyone in the cafe that had witnessed the marriage proposal was sad to see the happy couple go, but they made due with the warm memories they had of them. Tadashi wouldn’t have been surprised if he found out that someone had blogged about the proposal somewhere online.

  

            The rest of the day, in comparison to Ethan's heartfelt proposal, passed uneventfully. Soon, it was time to close up the cafe once more; Tadashi had to admit that he was very relieved to do so. It had been a fun but _exhausting_ weekend; it took but one glance at Aunt Cass and Hiro, who were working beside him cleaning the cafe, to know that they felt the same way. By the time the trio trudged upstairs, Aunt Cass seemed dead-set on not opening the cafe the following day, just so that they could all take a much needed break. Tadashi and Hiro were in favor of her suggestion, and after a bit of debate, Aunt Cass decided to follow through with the plan, much to Tadashi and Hiro's relief.

 

            The trio celebrated with a huge order of Chinese food and a lighthearted romantic comedy movie that night. Aunt Cass' couch was a little tight with all three of them bunched up together on it, but Tadashi couldn't have felt more at home; Hiro would never voice it out loud, but he felt the same way. After the movie finished, Tadashi and Hiro wished Aunt Cass a good night before they went upstairs together.

 

            Tadashi took a shower first that night; he was already comfortably settled in bed with a book in hand and the light on his nightstand on by the time Hiro came out after finishing his. Tadashi shifted slightly over to allow Hiro to sit down next to him on the bed.

 

            "Do you need a blow-dryer for your hair? I could ask Aunt Cass for hers." Tadashi asked. His own hair had dried quite quickly after his shower, but he imagined that Hiro's hair wouldn't dry quickly enough if he wanted to sleep right at this very moment.

 

            "No it's ok. It'll dry in time. I don't want to disturb Aunt Cass...she's probably really tired."

 

            "...True. But just let me know if you want to sleep and your hair isn't dried yet ok? I don't want you to catch a cold."

 

            "Mmmm." Hiro acknowledged, using his towel to furiously dry off his hair.

 

            The two enjoyed a period of comfortable silence, with Tadashi reading quietly laying down and Hiro catching up on his emails and messages on his phone while sitting up. Eventually, Hiro put down his phone and settled down onto the bed; he then affectionately nuzzled his chin against Tadashi's chest. Tadashi tore his eyes away from his book to gently pet Hiro's head, making sure that his hair was dry enough. He was glad to find out that it was.

 

            "You know...what kind of engagement ring would you like Tadashi?" Hiro asked curiously.

 

            "Huh?" Tadashi put down his book.

 

            "What kind of engagement ring do you think you'd like Tadashi?" Hiro repeated, a little louder this time.

 

            "Oh. Hmm... I haven't really thought about it," Tadashi mused. "I don't think I'd need anything particularly fancy. Just a plain silver band with some engravings would be ok I guess. I've never been one for erm....diamonds or anything. But of course this is all assuming that someone would ask me to marry them, not the other way around."

 

            "You're so BORINGGG...." Hiro teased. Tadashi huffed in response.

 

            "Well then, what would _you_ like?"

 

            "Something that has robotic capabilities would be so cool! Preferably sleek black with like, blue highlights! Have you ever seen the movie ‘Atlantis’? Think that kind of blue highlight!"

 

            "...You would say something like that. I don't know what I expected," Tadashi joked light-heartedly. "What kind of robotic capability could a ring have anyway? Isn't a ring too small?"

  

            "You'd be surprised with how small robots can be nowadays."

  

            "Touche…"

  

            A brief silence fell between them.

 

             "Marriage is a big thing isn't it?" Hiro asked softly. Tadashi nodded.

 

            "Sure is."

 

            "But I'm sure Rachel and Ethan will be fine right? They clearly love each other so much."

 

            "Yeah..." Tadashi agreed. This was probably the reason why Hiro had been in such deep thought earlier when they were working in the café.

 

            "Hm. I wonder what's the exact cut-off point...like when exactly does someone come to the realization that they’d be willing to spend the rest of their life with someone they loved?" Hiro asked rhetorically.

  

            Tadashi had no answer to that particular question; in fact, he was actually getting increasingly embarrassed with the direction this topic was taking. He tried to calm his rapidly beating heart, knowing very well that because Hiro was all smooshed up against him, he'd be able to feel it. In the end, he simply gave up and briefly got up to go to the bathroom. Unfortunately, Tadashi didn't miss the confused and slightly hurt expression on Hiro's face when he did so; Tadashi felt guilt and shame twist his stomach. _Man that was irresponsible of me_ Tadashi thought.

 

            Tadashi spent a good minute in the bathroom before deeming his heart rate to have slowed down enough to no longer be suspicious. After Tadashi exited the bathroom, he turned off his room light, figuring that it was about time to get some well-deserved rest after a long weekend of work; the lamp on his nightstand was still on, so Tadashi didn't need to worry about bumping against anything. It seemed that Hiro had flipped over onto his stomach while he was gone; his face was deeply buried in one of Tadashi's pillows.

 

            "Are you asleep Hiro?" Tadashi whispered.

  

            "No." came the soft reply. Hiro pulled his face out of the pillow and stared at Tadashi.

 

            "Here, let me climb back in. Watch your head and body ok?"

 

            "Mmhmm." Hiro acknowledged before he moved over slightly.

 

            Tadashi once again lay down and pulled the blanket over himself. After a brief moment, he made to pull Hiro close to him again; Hiro didn't resist, and resettled in Tadashi's arms.

  

            "You REALLY need to get a larger bed." Hiro said, smiling at Tadashi. Tadashi blinked, before giggling quietly. He didn't like to admit it, but he was very relieved that Hiro changed the subject. It was bad of him to leave things hanging, but he really wasn’t emotionally prepared to talk about it just yet. He promised to make amends to Hiro later.

 

            "Hm. Yeah, it's becoming a problem isn't it?" Tadashi replied. He never minded cuddling with Hiro, but he knew that having more sleeping room would be healthier for the both of them.

 

            "Yeah. I'm definitely dropping by more often than I was a couple of months ago. I think it's worth the investment…”

 

            “Mmm. I’ll think about it. Maybe it’s time.”

 

            “Ok. Goodnight Tadashi.” Hiro whispered, kissing Tadashi on the lips.

 

            “Goodnight Hiro. See you in the morning.” Tadashi replied softly.

 

            Tadashi never would’ve known, but he actually fell asleep before Hiro did that night. Hiro was undoubtedly tired, but one particular train of thought stubbornly chugged along in his mind, keeping sleep temporarily at bay.

 

_Marriage huh?_

 

            Hiro’s cheeks flushed at the thought, his heart rate rising slightly; Hiro tugged at the collar of his shirt, temporarily feeling some discomfort from the heat being generated from his body. Marriage wasn’t something Hiro had ever really bothered thinking about until now (how could you blame him? he hadn’t even been dating anyone half a year ago). Judging by Tadashi’s uncomfortable reaction from before, he probably hadn’t really thought about it much either.

 

            Hiro closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and focused simply on the sound of Tadashi breathing and the feeling of Tadashi’s strong arms around him instead of his increasingly murky thoughts. After about 30 seconds of doing that, Hiro pressed his face against Tadashi’s chest and breathed in deeply again; unsurprisingly, Tadashi smelled very nice (his current scent was a mixture of his body wash and the detergent used to wash his shirt). Finally, Hiro felt himself relaxing, much to his relief (he really didn’t need his heart rate waking Tadashi up). He opened his eyes once more and stared into the sleeping face of his boyfriend.

 

            Hiro felt warm, though it wasn’t the uncomfortable kind he had felt when he was weighed down by his thoughts and emotions before. This was the nice kind of warm, the kind that made his stomach flutter pleasantly and made him feel protected and cherished. When Hiro really thought about it, Tadashi had never failed to make him feel this way; Tadashi spread warmth almost as easily as he breathed. Was this feeling nice at this very moment in Hiro’s life? Yeah, it most definitely was. Was this feeling something Hiro would want to keep feeling for a long time? Yeah, why wouldn’t he?

 

            And was Tadashi the best person to ensure that he’d continue feeling this way?

 

            Hm. It was likely. _Very_ likely.

 

            And just like that, Hiro had his answer.

 

            Hiro smiled softly (at nothing in particular really) before finally allowing himself to drift off to sleep. Quite frankly, Hiro still had plenty of time to think about it. It was definitely going to take awhile to develop a cool robotic engagement ring anyway; not to mention it’d probably take even longer to convince Tadashi that such a ring would be more awesome than a simple silver band with engravings on it. Like seriously, what was that even about?

 

            Yeah, Hiro had time. There was no need to rush.

 

            “See you in the morning…” Hiro whispered before he finally allowed himself to get the rest he sorely needed after a crazy convention weekend.

 

FIN

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s Note: 
> 
> /promptly punts self to moon
> 
> I can't believe I wrote that ending. I'm horrible. XDDD I hope I didn't shoot myself in the foot by leaving such a dangerous idea hanging at the end of this installment lololol.
> 
> But trust me when I say this that it wasn't my intention to write about Hiro and Tadashi’ considering possible marriage when I had first envisioned this installment...(I had just wanted to dedicate something to my great time at Otakon back in July, as mentioned in the author note before the story) but I guess, as usual, the story and characters have sorta grown on their own. /sighs 
> 
> Actually, now that I think about it, I had envisioned Hiro proposing to Tadashi before, but that was just a vague far-off idea I had when I had written the fourth installment because I just thought it’d be cute for Hiro to propose to Tadashi with like, a bigger Baymax or something xD. Now I kind of definitely made it very much a potential plot-point of my story. /sweats I just really hope it wasn't a mistake lol. 
> 
> Hidashi will always be end-game, that's for sure. However, I think it's way too early in their relationship for them to think about such a high level of commitment. I mean really, I scoff at marriage all the time (because I've seen a good many of them fail unfortunately) but I know it's an extremely large step in anyone's life, and you should definitely consider it for a good amount of time before committing (because god knows people show their ugly side when things go wrong *shudders*). I don't care how much in love you are with someone...marriage is a whole other issue. It takes a whole other level of commitment and responsibility. 
> 
> But hey, we'll see I guess. Maybe it'd be part of an epilogue or something.~~ I wouldn't mind that. I just don't want it to be a thing now because they haven't even made it past the 6 month mark yet gahhhh. /punted I will never propagate the idea thatt marrying someone when you haven’t really really REALLLYYYYYYYYYY gotten to know them is a good idea, because it really isn’t lol.
> 
> But anyway sorry for rambling again;;; orz I hope you enjoyed all the domestic!Hidashi in this installment. I’m always a sucker for domestic stuff like cooking together and cuddling in bed together. <3 And I’m glad I got to write something from Hiro’s perspective for once. It was fun. But are some of you wondering how in the world Hiro would figure out his feelings before Tadashi? I’m curious. 
> 
> As always, find me at Rl4r.tumblr.com!!! <3 I’d love to hear suggestions on what to write/how to write/etc. See you guys there!


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